Paradise Writer Teases Potential Spinoffs After Season 3 Ending

Creator Dan Fogelman and writer and executive producer John Hoberg have spoken on numerous occasions about having a three-season plan and sticking to it. They are close to fulfilling that plan as season 3 has been officially renewed, the scripts are written, and filming is scheduled to begin in April. With the introduction of survivors in the world outside the bunker and the AI quantum computer known as ALEX that may be capable of time travel, the show’s scope is only getting larger, though.

While speaking with Parade, John Hoberg explains that he believes Paradise is well-suited to a spinoff, especially if it follows Link/Dylan (Thomas Doherty) and his group after global disaster strikes and before they come to Graceland and meet Annie (Shailene Woodley) as seen in the season 2 premiere. Hoberg clarifies that he has no insider information about any spinoffs, but he is intrigued by the idea of Link and his allies shutting down nuclear reactors and as “a collection of people who in the face of this calamity are already thinking about how do we rebuild and how do we restart things.” Check out his comments below:

I feel like whether it’s a prequel or something, I don’t know… I got really into the guys, we called them “Cancer Cowboys,” and we had this huge backstory for them, and it’s Link’s crew, and it’s what they were doing, going around right after “The Day” and trying to safely shut down nuclear reactors. Because if they can survive, which you realize Cal gave them that opportunity, if nuclear reactors are blowing up everywhere, it’s not going to be a survivable country.

To me, they were people who probably went to your town, and if someone was in the way, and that nuclear reactor was going to blow up if people stayed in the way, they weren’t against fighting to get to that, to try to save people. So I always kind of pictured them almost like knights, old-style knights. But I think I could probably do that with four different areas that I’d be like, “Oh, that could be a really cool place to go to.”

Paradise season 2 reveals that Link is the leader of a massive network, comprised of approximately 10,000 individuals across the country, all of whom come together intending to storm the bunker. How Link managed to unite thousands of survivors after an apocalyptic event is only lightly touched upon in season 2, but this backstory and Hoberg’s pitch sounds like a large enough narrative for its own spinoff series.

Certain details about Link’s past are all but guaranteed to be explored in season 3, including more about his role in creating ALEX and whether he is actually the son of Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond. With season 3 being the end and once again only having eight episodes, though, it will not be able to cover everything about his past, which leaves room for a potential spinoff. A show focused on the “Cancer Cowboys” could also highlight other members of Paradise‘s cast who haven’t received as much focus, including Link’s close allies Geiger (Michael McGrady) and Chef (Timothy Omundson).

Fogelman and Hoberg have not only been adamant about Paradise ending with season 3, but that season 4 would be difficult to make happen based on how the story concludes. What this means for Link, Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), and the rest of the characters won’t become clear until the series finale is released, although Hoberg’s comment about “four different areas” being “a really cool place to go to” indicates that there are other spinoff possibilities beyond Link and the “Cancer Cowboys.” If ALEX is capable of achieving time travel or accessing the multiverse, that opens countless other story opportunities as well.

All Paradise season 1 and 2 episodes are now streaming on Hulu.